I received a notice about a workshop in Washington, DC on March 8, from The Association of Public Data Users (APDU), Building the Case for Public Statistics: Workshop for Stakeholders.
The opening sentences of the description I firmly believe:
“In uncertain times, we need evidence. Federal statistics are vital sources. Researchers, businesses, governments, and nonprofits rely on this data, and we need to do a better job of telling policymakers that investment in data is important.”
This resonated with me because recent events from the current regime have suggested a blatant disregard for data. Most notably, officials of the Centers for Disease Control have been banned from using certain words, those being Vulnerable, Entitlement, Diversity, Transgender, Fetus, Evidence-based and Science-based. Later, the Department overseeing the CDC, Health and Human Services denied actually banning the words, saying that they are “recommendations.”
Nevertheless, this newspeak has been widely, and understandably, mocked, with folks on social media finding ways to include all the words as often as possible. Jim Reisner wrote, “The science-based study on diversity showed that a vulnerable, transgender fetus was not eligible for any entitlements generated by an evidence-based analysis of Republican compassion.” I thought it was brilliant.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s head, Scott Pruitt, has called for the elimination of the term “global warming.” He has cited the Bible to justify removing scientists from advisory boards. When EPA employees spoke out against the anti-science policies, then came scrutiny of their email.
Also, the regime has reversed the inclusion of climate as a threat to national security.
Meanwhile, as the Federal Communications Commission ended net neutrality – bad enough – it has refused to take action to remove fraudulent comments or to prevent them from being filed.
As a librarian, I count on access to data that are undistorted by political agendas. I need, to quote Joe Friday, “Just the facts.”
For ABC Wednesday
That is a wonderful take with D words for D.
Happy ABCW!
What a much needed post for D especially on the eve of the Inaugural Address ~ not going to listen either ~ such a farce ~
Happy Week to you,
A ShutterBug Explores
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Don’t know if my comment came through …
Maybe my brain is running on empty, but did not understand what you were trying to say – maybe because I am used to “data” in using research.
About the comment of the writing exercise about a door: I immediately thought take a door with a reflections, and you can spin a whole plot out of that:)
Basically, I’m saying, “if you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything” –
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/if_you_torture_the_data_long_enough,_it_will_confess_to_anything
A difficult matter… Personaly I feel, a mix of ‘knowing’ and ‘believing’ is the best way to deal with whatever comes your way
Have a splendid ♥-warming ABC-Wednes-day / -week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (team ABC-W)
http://melodymusic.nl/22-D
With this current administration, I’ve been wondering how reliable the data may be that the various agencies are collecting. That’s horrible to think.
Often wonder who verifies the data before it is released. And data can be interpreted in so many ways. Sometimes facts are also deceiving. Perhaps we should rely on instinct.